Governments second consultation on local government reorganisation in Sussex has closed

Published 10:32 on 16 Jun 2026

The second Government consultation on options for local government reorganisation in Sussex has now closed.

The Government asked for views on two additional options, following feedback from the previous consultation. These were based on modifications to proposals previously submitted by local authorities in Sussex.

In West Sussex, the additional proposal involved the creation of two unitary authorities. One authority would bring together Chichester District, Crawley Borough, Horsham District and Mid Sussex District, serving a population of approximately 566,000. The second would combine Arun District, Adur District and Worthing Borough, with an estimated population of 349,000.

A further option was also proposed for East Sussex and Brighton & Hove, again based on two unitary authorities.

All earlier proposals that were previously consulted on remain under consideration. These include the two options put forward by all eight West Sussex councils. One was for a single unitary authority covering the whole of West Sussex, which was supported by West Sussex County Council. The other was for two unitary authorities in West Sussex - one which would include Chichester District, Arun District, Worthing Borough and Adur District and the other covering Horsham District, Mid Sussex District and Crawley Borough. This option was supported by all of the district and borough councils in West Sussex.

Other proposals included a single unitary authority for the East Sussex area, developed collaboratively and supported by most East Sussex councils, as well as a separate proposal from Brighton & Hove City Council suggesting the creation of five unitary authorities across Sussex. This included placing Chichester District with Horsham District and Crawley Borough; Brighton & Hove with parts of Lewes; Eastbourne with Hastings, Rother plus parts of Lewes and Wealden; Mid Sussex District with parts of Wealden and Lewes; and finally,Arun District with Adur District and Worthing Borough.  

The Government is expected to announce its decision before the summer parliamentary recess, which begins on 16 July 2026.

We would like to thank everyone who took the time to respond, says Cllr Adrian Moss, Leader of Chichester District Council.

We are continuing to work closely with the other councils in West Sussex to prepare for local government reorganisation. Our focus is on achieving the best possible outcomes for our local communities.

We want to reassure our communities that it is business as usual and we will continue to keep them informed every step of the way.

Elections for the new authorities are still expected to take place in 2027. The elected councillors will form what is known as a shadow authority for one year, ahead of the formal launch of the new authority in 2028. During this period, the shadow authority will operate alongside existing councils to prepare for the transition.

Further information and questions and answers about local government reorganisation can be found at:www.shapingwestsussex.org and www.chichester.gov.uk/devolution. The Ministry of Housing, Communities Local Government has also published further details about the process at: Summary of the local government reorganisation process - GOV.UK